27th DTB CUP 2009: China s men winning three titles

World champion ZHANG Hongtao (CHN) ... unbelievably good!

With in total three of the possible six World Cup wins in the mens, China proved to be the most successful nation at the 27th DTB-Cup 2009 in the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, the last competition of the FIG-World Cup Series of the year. World champion ZHANG Hongtao was in control on the pommel horse, Olympic winner CHEN, Yibing at the rings and the uneven bars champion WANG Guanyin was unbeatable on the beam. The rest of the apparati successes went, on the floor to the ex-world champion Diego HYPOLITO (BRA) and to each of the vice world champions Flavius KOCZI (ROU) vault and Epke ZONDERLAND (NED) on the highbar. Most successful German gymnasts were Matthias FAHRIG with second place with vault and Marcel NGUYEN as third on the uneven bars ...

With the ex floor world champion Diego Hypolito (BRA), the current pommel horse champion from London, Zhang Hongtao and rings Olympic champion Chen Yibing (both China), proved specialists and favorites placed themselves , on the first three mens apparati, on the top of the pre-competitions lists at the 27. DTB-trophy. But there are further high class competititors like Marian Dragulescu, the Australian Sellathurai or Pluschnikow from Russia, amongst the qualified ... But from the perspective of the hosts, only Matthias Fahrig on the floor (4.) and Thomas Taranu on the rings managed to bring themselves amongst the 8 each final after half of the apparati. Marcel Nguyen failed as 10th on the floor.Sebastian Krimmer was 12th at his world cup premiere in Stuttgart and the Berliner Philipp Sorrer 18th of the pommelhorse competition ...

* Vault: In part 2 of the mens qualifications the Hallenser vault expert and European Championship third Matthias Fahrig became the second contact to the leading vice- world champion Flavius KOCZI, whilst world champion Dragulescu surprisingly did not perform, and qulified over is country person Berbecar as the second Romanian. Hollands Jeffrey Wammes fell, Hypolito like the Canadian Gafunk also managed to get into the final round...

* Parallel bars-world champion WANG Guanyin (CHN) doesnt let anything burn: the highest class and most elegant excersise of the day (6.8; final score: 16,175) - almost one point (!) advantage over Marcel Nguyen (GER), who finaly showed his skill and elegance again on his apparatus... Slowenias spcialist Mitja Petkovsek did not attend...!

* High bar-Olympic first-finalist and current vice world champion Epke Zonderland convinced with his strong performance, leading ahead of Hamilton Sabot (FRA) and Samuel Piasecki (SVK)... after vault fall Jeffrey Wammes does still lie ahead of Marcel Nguyen by a half thenth from the final field: The Unterhachinger is 9th, Austrias Fabian Leimlehner 11th and the Berliner Philipp Sorrer 17th (after Kovacs-fall) in the 29 man strong high bar competition. Ex-champion Aljaz Pegan falls sadly during his own creation, the "Pegan"-salto, which seldomly happens, then nothing worked for him any more...